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This Might Sound Dumb But Sometimes I M Not Sure
Question: This might sound dumb but sometimes I'm not sure if I have a freckle or a tick on my skin. The "poppy seed" ticks look kind of like freckles. Would a tick always feel like an obvious bump rather than smooth? With a magnifying glass, would I always be able to see a tick's legs? Is there any other way to tell? Thanks.
I tried to upload a picture of one but I'm not sure if I did it right. I called the document "freckle" but I'm not sure if it's a freckle or a tick.
Brief Answer:
Use a magnifying lens
Detailed Answer:
Hello and welcome to ask a doctor service. I have gone through your query and viewed the image.
Unfortunately the image is not high resolution as required, so I can't make out for sure. However, if you aren't sure whether it is a tick or a mole/ lentigo/ freckle, you may use a magnifying lens and you would definitely be able to see the tiny legs in case it is a tick.
Hope I have answered your query. Let me know if you need any more assistance.
Use a magnifying lens
Detailed Answer:
Hello and welcome to ask a doctor service. I have gone through your query and viewed the image.
Unfortunately the image is not high resolution as required, so I can't make out for sure. However, if you aren't sure whether it is a tick or a mole/ lentigo/ freckle, you may use a magnifying lens and you would definitely be able to see the tiny legs in case it is a tick.
Hope I have answered your query. Let me know if you need any more assistance.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Vaishalee Punj
I think what I have is either a dark freckle or a lentigo. Can the border be slightly lighter in color than a dark freckle or lentigo? The light area is extremely thin. I don't think it can be seen except with a magnifying glass. I don't see legs but I'm just wondering now if there's a chance that it's malignant.
Brief Answer:
A benign lesion
Detailed Answer:
Hi.
I dont think it is malignant. For a nevus to be malignant it needs to qualify the ABCDE criteria where A stands for asymmetry, B for irregular borders, C for color variation, D for diameter more than 5 cm and E for evolution This pigmented spot is round to oval with regular borders, is small in size and appears uniformly dark in color. So doesn't come anyway near being malignant.
Take care.
A benign lesion
Detailed Answer:
Hi.
I dont think it is malignant. For a nevus to be malignant it needs to qualify the ABCDE criteria where A stands for asymmetry, B for irregular borders, C for color variation, D for diameter more than 5 cm and E for evolution This pigmented spot is round to oval with regular borders, is small in size and appears uniformly dark in color. So doesn't come anyway near being malignant.
Take care.
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Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Prasad
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